We have fallen behind Shenzhen in innovation and technology, but we can close the gap by excelling in arts and culture, given our rich cultural heritage and talent, and creative youth. [...] To enhance our position as an arts hub and foster international exchange, the Hong Kong Palace Museum at West Kowloon can be a strong platform. It will exhibit many of China’s most precious historic artifacts, and tourists and connoisseurs will not have to travel to Beijing to view these treasures.

By far the greatest burden of receiving Syria’s refugees has fallen not on the United States or on Europe, but on Syria’s neighbors: Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Together, these countries are hosting most of the five million Syrians. [...] The Turkish city of Gaziantep sets an example in treating refugees humanely. [...] Refugees are allowed to work and have access to free health care and schools, and the government has repeatedly committed to creating a pathway to Turkish citizenship.

'Global in perspective, regional in focus' is the mantra underpinning Australia's forthcoming International Cyber Engagement Strategy -- but with trade come norms of behavior, and enforcement. [...] Australia's diplomatic engagement on cyber security matters will be detailed in the government's International Cyber Engagement Strategy, to be launched next Wednesday.

The first London Design Festival was launched in 2003. Since then, around 130 cities across the world have set up their own version. Why? Design is key to building a successful creative economy and a festival is a major gateway to individual creative industries.

This International Peace Day a striking 84% of people in the UK, US and Germany agree that ‘human beings have the right to live in peace: free from conflict’. [...] Peacebuilding is often an invisible sub-sector of international development. There is no one definition of the term, but it is considered by the United Nations and those that work in the field as a process which goes beyond ending violence to establish the conditions for durable peace and prevent the recurrence of violence.

Bhutan was never going to be an early adopter. It is a small and remote place — a little more than twice the size of Los Angeles and Orange counties combined, perched at the eastern edge of the world’s highest mountain range. The Buddhist constitutional monarchy, however, is steadily moving into the modern era, even as its 800,000 people struggle with how much of it to embrace.

It was only a few years ago that e-diplomacy was being heralded as an unalloyed force for good. This 21st Century form of statecraft would bring transparency and openness to the closeted world of international affairs...U.S. President Donald Trump has obviously highlighted the dangers of conducting foreign policy by social media. In the hands of the impulsive and uniformed, the smart phone becomes a dangerous weapon.

‘Incredible India’ is easier said than done. It’s time the Modi government took concrete steps to harness and exploit our rich heritage...In the new millennium, various governments and leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have talked about India’s soft power. Yet, we have never really harnessed this strength.